Starry Night
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Psalms 19:1
The heavens proclaim the glory of God (v.1).
When poet, lecturer, and essayist Ralph Waldo
Emerson was asked what people would do if the
stars came out only once every thousand years,
he replied, “If the stars should appear but one night every
thousand years, how man would marvel and stare.”
Building on Emerson’s response, author Paul Hawkins,
in a commencement speech to the Portland University
Class of 2009, said, “If the stars only came out once
every thousand years, no one would sleep that night, of
course. The world would create new religions overnight.
We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the
glory of God. “Instead,” Hawkins lamented, “the stars
come out every night and we watch television.”
Ever since God created the stars on the fourth day
(Genesis 1:16), the brilliant lights haven’t ceased to shine.
We, however, too often neglect to “stop and consider”
these and other miracles of God’s creation (Job 37:14).
As we grow older, we tend to resemble Mark Twain’s
fictional character Tom Sawyer, who remembered
stargazing as an important part of his past but not his
present. “We had the sky up there, all speckled with
stars,” Twain wrote, “and we used to lay on our backs
and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was
made or only just happened.”
King David argued that an upward gaze is important regardless of our years
or stage in life. For “the heavens,” David said, “proclaim the glory of God. The
skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after
night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is
never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words
to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).
Don’t wait 1,000 years to be dazzled by God. Instead, look into tonight’s
evening sky and see what He has done! —Roxanne Robbins
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The heavens are Yours, and the earth is Yours; everything in the world is
Yours—You created it all
(Psalms 89:11).
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Have you lost your sense of wonder? Direct your view toward the stars,
and reflect on what God reveals to you about His creative handiwork and power.
